The present invention relates generally to wallboard tools and specifically to an improved wallboard rasp for reducing and smoothing the edges of wallboard material.
It is well known in the art of building construction to employ gypsum board, or wallboard, in forming the interior wall and ceiling surfaces of a building. Such wallboard material is typically supplied in large sheets which must often be cut to size in order to position the wallboard properly at corner joints and around doors, windows, and wall and ceiling fixtures. Because a close abutment fit is desirable between the piece of cut wallboard and the adjacent wallboard or other obstruction, those skilled in the art will typically cut the fitted piece to a size slightly larger than the opening in which the piece is to be installed and then reduce the piece's size along one or more of its cut edges until a flush fit is achieved.
As is also known and widely used in the art, a wallboard rasp may be employed by the artisan in reducing a wallboard piece's size smoothly and uniformly. The conventional rasp consists essentially of an abrasive blade mounted on a handle configured for grasping the rasp and repeatedly forcing the blade over the edge that is to be reduced so as to remove wallboard material until the desired dimension is attained. The blade typically is formed from an expanded metal sheet having a pattern of generally hexagonal openings separated by interconnected metal wires with sharp outer edges designed for abrading and removing the wallboard material. Moreover, sharp edges are often created about the perimeter of the metal sheet when the sheet is cut or otherwise configured to the desired size to be mounted on a rasp handle for use.
Due to the many sharp edges associated with the rasp blade and the impracticality of holding the blade itself to work on a piece of wallboard, various handle configurations have been employed in the art to secure the blade and facilitate its use. Specifically, to allow the necessary exposure to the sharp wires of the blade's metal sheet while protecting the artisan from unneeded risks of injury from the blade, handles have been implemented that enclose at least a portion of the blade, including the blade perimeter, such that the handle may be grasped by the artisan without coming into contact with the blade. While these prior art wallboard rasps then serve their intended purpose, they do not optimally house the blade for both effective and safe use. Rather, the materials and methods of manufacture employed in prior art rasps have resulted in a relatively bulky and more costly tool. Further, the handles are often configured as elongate bodies that are not conducive to obtaining a good grip on the rasp during use.
Thus, there still exists a need in the art for a wallboard rasp having a handle and blade combination configured for efficient, safe use and for improved manufacturability. The present invention fulfills these needs and others.